I am the product of many thousands of years of evolution, as are you. I grew up on the land in the far north of Ontario following in the footsteps of my Cree ancestors of the great James Bay and Muskego. I speak my Cree dialect based on a language that is ancient, and I understand the history of my people and our connection to Mother Earth.
My people lived the nomadic life of hunter gatherers for thousands of years, and this is knowledge that I learned from my parents and Elders. I grew up on the land in Attawapiskat, but I’ve also lived and worked in cities and towns of southern Ontario. I have travelled to 35 countries, learned about other cultures, foods, music, issues, life and filled my eyes with incredible and beautiful images.
All of these experiences gave me a real appreciation for Mother Earth. I am in awe of what a wonderful planet we inhabit. I do my best to learn as much as I can about our world and our history. I carry the knowledge I learned from my Elders, my dad Marius and mom Susan. My partner Mike has also been an excellent guide who has helped me as a writer and to dedicate my efforts to representing the Cree and all First Nations. This is a wonderful, challenging and rewarding reality that comes with responsibility and vulnerability.
I have almost 30 years sobriety and being in recovery. In my world I needed to research and write about many things: drug and alcohol addiction; how corporations operate, dealing with global warming and its causes; the incursions by government on First Nation lands without free, prior or informed consent; the pollution caused by resource development; the reality of racism and homophobia; and the global domination of wealth inequality. A 2023 Oxfam report states that “81 billionaires have more wealth than 50% of the world combined.”
The responsibility of being a journalist, a writer and columnist is daunting at times. I often wish I could jump on a floatplane and fly off to te Akamiski Island or remote parts of the Attawapiskat River. The problem is that I would be abandoning you, all of the people who have given me teachings, First Nation people who need a voice and, most importantly, Mother Earth. We are all life forms on this planet, not separate from Mother Earth. We are Mother Earth and what happens to our planet affects us all directly.
I do my best with my research and writing. But we all need to act. We need to rise up and demand a change in how politics are run with lobbying that makes governments more like casinos. We need to protest war and out-of-control development that causes global warming and is destroying our world.
We need to stand up to the system that allows a small group of billionaires to control everything. We have to think about the two wars that could turn into a nuclear conflict end our civilization either by accident or design. We need to think about the fact that global warming is causing severe weather, terrible forest fires, floods and storms all over the planet.
We need to think about what our federal government is doing with Bill C-5 and in Ontario with Bill 5 which will result in development that could remove conservation, the environment and labour laws. These fast-tracked developments will affect huge carbon sinks like the Hudson Bay Lowlands that we need to combat global warming. These new laws ignore consultations with First Nations. At the same time hetse governments are cutting all kinds of social programs for people.
You can join groups and donate to organizations that stand up to all of this. Right now, First Nation youth are looking for support as they stand up for the land, rivers, lakes, creatures and the very air we breathe. Movements like Here We Stand – Call To Action, Youth Rising Together and Okiniwak. Help them out if you can.
Mother Earth needs you now.